Glass batch feeder



Oct. 3l, 1939. c. A. BROWN ET AL GLASS BATCH FEEDER Filed July 28, 1957 Patented @et 3i, i939 UNIT/eo STATES ariane @Lass Baron ramona Carl A. Brown, Chardon, and Charles W. Craig, Cleveland Heights, 9h10, assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application .luly 28, 193?, Serial No. 156,126

5 Claims.

Our invention relates to glass melting furnaces generally and more particularly to apparatus for feeding glass batch material thereto.

In order to maintain a uniform temperature in glass furnaces and preserve the heat balance thereof, the batch material musil be introduced into the furnace gradually and must be evenly distributed therein. These precautions are particularly desirable when vthe furnace is electricali ly heated by the passage of currentthrough'the bath of molten glass since the batch material, when introduced, is a good insulator and only becomes conductive upon being heated and even then Vyaries considerably in resistance with l changes in temperature.

O n'e of the objects of our invention is to provide apparatus for satisfactorily `feeding batch material to a glass furnace.' Another object is to provide apparatus for feeding the batch material 20 gradually and for distributing it evenly over a large areain the melting tank. Still another object is to provide apparatus for satisfactorily feeding batch material which is granular and of uneven consistency.- Further objects and adgyantages of our invention will appear from the following description of a species thereof and 'from the drawing.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a vertical transverse section through a glass batch feeding apparatus 30 comprising our invention and a portion of an electrical glass furnace; Fig. 2.is a side elevation Y of tsald apparatus with a portion broken away and a longitudinal section through said glass jfurnace; and Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective 9&5' view of a portion of the actuating means for the feeder.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the batch feeder comprises a hopper I Il which is mounted abovethe open melting tank II of the glass furnace I2 (o and is ladapted to hold a sufficient quantity of the glass batch I3 to meet the requirementsof the furnace for a relatively longperiod. The hopper i3 extends substantially the full length' of the tank lII and is held in position thereabove by i5 angular bars I4 on opposite sides and channel bars IIS on opposite ends which are supported by means not shown. The sides of the hopper III are inclinedtoward an opening I0' in the center which extends the'full length ofthe-hopper and o allows the batch material' I3 to pass to the plate I3 located therebelow. The lbatch material I3 is 'quite granular and of uneven .consistency so that it `piles up on the plate I6 and prevents addi? --ticnal batch material from passing from the hopper I0. The plate I6 is fastened to the lower (Cl. iS-5d) shaken from said plate I6. The extent and rate 10 of the oscillationof the plate I6 control `the amdunt of batch material I3 fed. As some ofthe'batch material I3 falls from the plate I6, additional batchv material passes from the hopper Il) to the platefl to replace that shaken therefrom.- 'I'he plate I6 is caused to oscillate by a roller 23 which is located in the slot 24 (Fig. 3)

in the arm Il and is mounted eccentrically on the end. of the shaft 25 of a speed reducerh26 which is `.driven yby an electric motor 21. The eccentricity of the mounting'for the-roller'23 controls the amount of movement'of the plate I6 since there is no sideward free motion of fsaid roller 23 in f the slot 24. The eccentricity may be varied to alter the extent of'oscillation of the plate I6 and f thereb vary the amount of batch material fed. The ro er 23 is mounted through the stud 28 on the boss 28 extending from the slide 29' and is adjusted with respect to the axis of the shaft A by movement of said slide 29 in theways in block 80 v3l) in which'it is mounted. The slide 29 is'adjusted and retained inthe desired position within the ways ofplock 30 by a screw 3| which is threaded through'a hole in said slide and is held in place in'the block 3|) by the l.reduced end por- 35 tions 32 which fit into slots'33 in the block 30. `Manual adjustment of the vslide 29 is made through a kno 34 on one end of the screw 3| which is prevented from turning during operation of the apparatus by the frictional engage- 40 ment of a spring nger 35 (Fig. 2) therewith. The cover plate 36'holds the slide 29 and the screw 3I in place in the openings in the block 30. The oscillation of the plate I6 from side to side causes the batch material I3 to be gradually 45 sprinkled onto the inclined stationary fingers 31 at both sides of the apparatus which break up'the flow 'of the material I3 even more, so that it is quite evenly distributed over the surface of the partially melted` batch in the furnace tank II'.-50

The fingers 31 are mounted on metal channels 38 located on the'furnace blocks 39. In this instance the furnace I2 is heated by the passage of electric current through the molten .glass 40 located between the electrodes `III- Ila and' the semi-molten glass batch ill floating on top o molten glass shields and insulates the :l g apparatus from the heat of the molten glass. Th molten glass Aflows through openings 435i in both sides of the :furnace iii to the forehearths .'33 at each side and replaces that used therefrom.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of 'the United States l. Apparatus for making glass comprising in combination a melting tank, and means for :feeding batch material to said tank comprising a hopper located over said tank and having an opening at the bottoni thereof, a plate mounted below said opening in said hopper adapted to receive and hold a suiiicient quantita' of .batch mathe terial to block the now of material from said.

hopper, means for oscillating said plate across the opening in said hopper to'shake batch material therefrom into said tank and cause additional .batch material to flow to said plate from' the'hopper, anda plurality or spaced inclined fingers locatedbelow said plate to intercept and deflect some oi the, batch material falling from said `plate to distribute it more evenly in the tank.

2, Apparatus for makingr glass comprising in combination a melting tank, and means for feeding batchmaterial to said tank comprising a hopper located over said tank and extending along substantially the full length of said tank and hav- 30' ing an opening extending the length of the bottom thereof, a plate mounted below and coextensive with said openingjn said hopper so arranged as to receive andholda suhcient quantity of batch material lto block the ilow by gravity of material from said-hopper and means' for oscillating saidplate laterally across the opening in said hopper toshake batch material therefrom directly into saidtank and cause additional batch material to flow to said plate from `the hopper.

3, Apparatus Vfor making glass comprising in combination; a` melting tank; and means for feeding batch material to said tankcomprising a hopper located4 over said tank and extending along substantially the ull llength of -said tank and having an openingentending the length of the bottom thereof; a plate mounted below and coextensive with said opening in said hopper adapted to receive and hold a suiiicient quantity of batch material to block the flowfo'f material from. hopper, means :for oscillating said plate across the opening in said hopper toshake batch material therefrom into said tank and cause additional batch material to flow to said plate from the hopper, and a pair oi rows of transverse spaced inclined fingers located below and eid/ending-the` length oi said plate to intercept and deflect some of the batch material falling from said plate to distribute it more evenly in the tank.

fi. apparatus for making glass comprising in combination a melting tank, and means for feeding batch material to said tank comprising a hopper located over said tank and extending along substantially the lfull length of said tank and having an opening extending the length of the bottom thereof, a plate mounted below and Vcoeatensive with said opening in said hopper so arranged as to receive and hold a suilcient quantity of batch material to block the flow by gravity of material from said hopper, an arm extending upwardly from said plate and pivote-ily mounted at its upper end, and means for swinging said arm about its pivot for oscillating said plate laterally across the opening in said hopper to shake batch material therefrom ldirectly into said tank and cause additional batch material to ow to said plate from the hopper.

5. .Apparatus for making glass comprising in vcombination a melting tank, and means for feeding batch material to said tank comprising a hopper located over said tank( and having an opening at the bottom thereof, a plate mounted below said opening in said hopper adapted to receive and hold a sufcient quantity of batch material to block the flow of material from said. hopper, an arm extending upwardly from said plate and pivotally mounted at its upper end, a. driven shaft mounted adjacent to the side of said arm, and a roller eccentrically mounted on said shaft and engaging a slot in said arm to swmg said arm about its pivot forfoscillating said plate across the opening in said hopper to shake batchmaterial therefrom into said tank and cause additional batch material to ilow to said plate from the 

